Bishop, Aliens, beginning of the end
by Cakeydaftone
Summary: Could meeting Hicks and hearing about LV-426 change bishops future?


Bishop (Aliens)

 _The beginning of the end_

This is just a fun idea of how I imagine the crew of the sulaco met. I know in the film the Marines had never been to LV-426 and it looked like that they hadn't worked with Gorman before, but this is just a twist on that setup. I often wonder about how Bishop functions within the marines corp as Bishop isn't given much screen time. I gather they respect him and he is a valued member of the Sulaco crew.

Claire walked into the room carrying her clipboard and a dark leafed plant underneath a glass cloche. Bishop hadn't noticed her; he noticed very little when he was studying samples. These slides had to be all cataloged and sent back to the main lab on earth by tomorrow. Dust samples from a thought to be dead moon, but he had found some mould spores, signs of life after all. Bishop liked working in the hydroponics lab. On occasions, he had taken work back to his quarters to study. This was considered to be the most boring work in the lab, looking at dust. Some days it might be brown if it was from a planet, usually, it was gray if it was from a moon like this sample was, but Bishop quite enjoyed it. He hoped however that he would escape the confines of the lab eventually.

He quickly glanced up to the blue neon display on the wall. He had only an hour to go, dam I'm too fast he thought to himself. He tried to delay returning to his room however as he was always a target for the marines.

"How are you holding up Bishop?" Asked Claire as she poured herself a coffee from the dispenser.

He looked up from the microscope. "Not too bad Mam, I'm nearly finished."

She picked up a copy of his fight book and looked at the cover. "So you're really doing it, training to be a pilot?"

"Yes..." He smiled; the act looked distinctly out of place upon his face. "...They are always recruiting within the marines. They say my score is high enough to be considered. I only have a few sessions left to start the exam.'

'Why do I feel a butt is coming?'

He smirked, again distinctly odd. 'They aren't too keen on having types like me around.'

'Well, that just prejudice...' She places her hand briefly on his shoulder. '...I'm sure you will go far as a pilot...' She walks over to her desk and sits upon a high stool, looking at all the folders that are strewed everywhere.

'You have always been a hard worker here.'

'I am?' He asked with childlike excitement.

'Yes. We will be sad to lose you, but if it's what you want.'

That evening Bishop returned to the marine's wing of the station. The Weyland Corporation in its wisdom had decided to try and integrate synthetics to work alongside human counterparts. Of course not everyone was so enthusiastic about that idea so Bishop had regular run in with human's that made him feel very unwelcome. Tonight was no different. A sign had been pinned to his locker. It read, Fuck off Pinocchio. Bishop pulled the sign off and scrunched it into a ball, throwing it into the metal waste bin behind him with ease, despite it being fifth teen feet away. That was one thing that amazed his human counterparts, his strength, and coordination to do tasks. His new trick which he was trying to perfect was a knife move. He had seen a marine with his friends trying to do the stunt in the galley. His friends cheered him on to go faster, but the marine kept nicking his fingers and complaining. Bishop watched with amusement as he knew with some practice that he could go far faster than any of the marines. Bishop had practiced in his room in the evenings. At the start, he received a few nicks, nothing that required any attention by the medics. Just as well, the corp, wouldn't be very pleased.

This felt like the night to try his new skill out on the public. Bishop walked slowly at first towards the galley and then saw the band of marines, one was of them was standing, one was sitting on the edge of the table laughing and smoking looking away and the goofy one as before was stabbing himself with the knife.

"Hi," Bishop announced. The three marines look up at him from the table.

"Hey, how's it going?" one of them replied. Bishop wasn't expecting that. No smart quip or a simple Fuck off! Maybe that was reserved for later.

"Not bad. I couldn't help noticing your knife game."

"Why? Want a shot?" The marine who Bishop supposed was the leader of the group asked.

"Don't encourage him, Hicks." Said the goofy looking one.

The last one was strong, silent and fair-haired. Bishop made out the name Drake on his camo shirt.

"Stop being a asshole Hudson and hand over that knife." Hicks grabs the knife and hands it to Bishop.

"I've heard a lot about you people..." Hicks tosses his cigarette into a cold half drunken coffee carton. "...not all good I must say but prove us wrong. Are you ready?"

Bishop nods.

"Well go ahead, let's see your moves."

Bishop moves closer to the table and places his left hand on the surface. The group goes quiet apart from Hudson who offers up words of wisdom "He's going to fuck it up, man."

Bishop laughed inwardly and began lifting the knife point between his fingers. He hears the metal point hit the table and with each passing movement was glad his fingers weren't struck even if he couldn't feel pain in a human sense. He could see his hand and project a path many moves ahead so could go faster and faster, to almost his hand was a blur. All Bishop could hear now were gasps and the sound of the knife jabbing. There was suddenly a small crowd of onlookers that were cheering. It seemed like minutes but it was only seconds and his time in the limelight was over. The crowd clapped. Bishop smiled and nodded in recognition. Had he now been accepted?

Bishop hands the knife back to stunned and speechless Hicks. "Well, I'm impressed."

"That was fucking a man." Hudson adds, slapping Bishop across the back before leaving the table.

"Whatever..." Drake turns to Hicks. "You coming?"

"Give me a few minutes." Hicks replies. Drake gave him an expression like he was losing his mind then ran after Hudson.

"You work in the labs?"

"Yes, sir."

Hicks smiles. Don't bother with the sir crap with me, just call me Hicks. Look if you want a change in fortunes come join us. I will give you a good ref."

Bishop looks round at the other marines and although he gained their trust for a while, how long would it last.

"Well at the moment I am very close to getting my pilots licence."

"Very good..." He lights a cigarette which he had pushed behind his ear. "Now forget these idiots here, I know you have had run-ins with them..."

Hicks is cut short by the marines loud protests. Hudson runs into view, his face in panic. "Gorman is on his way!"

"Gorman!" Hicks repeats and stamps out his cigarette. "What is that asshole doing here?"

They all including Bishop rush over towards the training room. The marines all stand solemnly looking towards one another. Bishop knew that something was wrong. It was rare to see the Lieutenant as he was posted on earth. To see him here was highly unusual.

"I better leave."

Hicks turns to him. "Just go and sit over there, it's probably nothing." He points to a bench towards the back.

Bishop walks over and sits. At least with all the marines standing he shouldn't be caught out he thought.

From where he was sitting Bishop could just make out the young Lieutenant walk into the room.

"Evening..." He takes off his cap and rubs his scalp, nervously. "...Sorry about this late meeting, but I have only had this information pass to me some hours ago. We need to put a team together to travel to LV-426. We haven't much time to prep you before the fight so-"

"How much time?" Hicks interrupts.

"Two weeks at the most."

Hicks and the rest of the team start to break out in discord.

Hicks pulls Gorman to one side.

"Two weeks! our last posting was only a week ago. My team needs time to rest up. I only have one pilot, that distance we least need two on board, you know the procedure."

"We don't have time for that corporal."

"Well if it's just the processor acting up again just send a Weyland tech team, we are not wasting our time on some malfunctioning equipment bullshit again-"

"It's not that simple I'm afraid. We have lost contact with Hadley's Hope."

"What?"

"We have lost contact with them for the last three days. They haven't responded to our hails."

"It's probably just a faulty transmitter."

Gorman shakes his head. "No, we think the colonists may be in danger so just get your team together, Apone is already at the Sulaco" He places his cap on again and moves away from Hicks.

Shit! Hicks says under his breath. "Look people-" He claps his hands together and the marines jump to his attention. "Get ready to leave here tomorrow so we can go to station Prime and rendezvous with the Serg and the Sulaco."

The marines rushed about while Bishop tried to sneak out unnoticed until Hicks shouted his name.

"Bishop!"

Bishop stopped. Hicks manoeuvred around Hudson who was at his locker complaining to anyone who could be bothered to take an interested.

"Look, you heard the man, I'm a pilot down I could do with someone like you on my team."

"I haven't got my licence yet."

"Then you better pray you past in the next two weeks. I'll sign your transfer papers. Go and get your kit."

Hicks lights up another cigarette as Bishop smiled and jogged out of the room.

As he returned to his room to gather his humble belongings including his plant he had proudly grown from a seed, Bishop felt unrest. He wasn't scared as he couldn't feel that way, but he was still worried about what he and his new found team were set to encounter.


End file.
